The present invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for cooking food and more particularly to a method and apparatus for preparing boned pork products, wherein boned pork products refers to pork products having a bone therein, such as pork ribs and pork chops.
Boned pork products are often made by slow-cooking using low temperature heat to yield a fully cooked and tender product. As an example, boned pork products are often slow-cooked on a grill using a low flame. As another example, boned pork products are often slow-cooked in a smokehouse.
A smokehouse is a relatively small enclosed room having an interior climate which is exposed to a low temperature heat. To cook a boned pork product in a smokehouse, a laborer transports an uncooked, boned pork product into the smokehouse and typically hangs the product on a hook or lays the product on a rack. The product is then left in the room and the relatively low heat of the air within the smokehouse serves to slowly cook the product. The product is left in the smokehouse for a prolonged period of time, such as approximately five hours, until the product is fully cooked.
It should be noted that humidity is often introduced into the interior of the smokehouse to add moisture to the product. Furthermore, it should also be noted that smoke is often introduced into the interior of the smokehouse to add flavor to the product. Specifically, two types of smoke are often provided into the room in order to be absorbed into the product for flavoring, a natural smoke created by burning natural woods, such as hickory, maple or apple woods, or an artificial liquid smoke which is less expensive than natural smoke.
After the low temperature climate inside the smokehouse serves to fully cook the boned pork product, a laborer enters the smokehouse, removes the boned pork product from the rack or hook on which it is disposed and transports the cooked product to a final cooking station, such as a kitchen or grilling area. Preferably, the product is then seasoned, such as by coating the product with a marinate or a sauce, and grilled over an open flame to give the product a charred exterior, thereby providing the product with a grilled flavor and appearance, which is highly desirable.
As can be appreciated, cooking boned pork products over a low-flamed grill or in a smokehouse provides desirable advantages. For example, the slow-cooking technique achieved by a low temperature smokehouse or low-flamed grill serves to thoroughly cook the boned pork product with a high level of tenderness and taste, thereby yielding a top quality cooked product.
However, it has also been found that cooking boned pork products over a low-flamed grill or in a smokehouse introduces numerous disadvantages.
As a first disadvantage, it has been found that cooking boned pork products over a low-flamed grill or in a smokehouse significantly limits the volume of boned pork products that can be cooked during a particular period of time. Specifically, an open grill and a smokehouse is of a relatively small size and accordingly, has a limited capacity to cook boned pork products. As such, because an open grill and a smokehouse both require a long period of time to fully cook the product, only a relatively small volume of product can be cooked per day.
As a second disadvantage, it has been found that cooking boned pork products over a low-flamed grill or in a smokehouse requires a lengthy stop in production each time a laborer replaces the cooked product with an uncooked product, thereby creating a noncontinuous flow of product. This significantly limits the overall volume and productivity of such a system.
As a third disadvantage, it has been found that cooking boned pork products over a low-flamed grill or in a smokehouse is very labor intensive, thereby rendering such a system more time consuming and costly.
As a fourth disadvantage, it has been found that cooking boned pork products over a low-flamed grill or in a smokehouse requires a relatively large amount of labor interaction, thereby exposing the boned pork product to potential contaminants, such as bacteria, which could compromise the sanitariness of the product.
As a fifth disadvantage, it has been found that cooking boned pork products over a low-flamed grill or in a smokehouse requires a relatively large amount of labor interaction, thereby compromising the consistency of the product. Specifically, the high level of labor interaction can often cause the product to be undercooked or overcooked.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved method and apparatus for preparing boned pork products.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for preparing boned pork products as described above which cooks the product with a high level of tenderness and taste and with an appetizing appearance.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for preparing boned pork products as described above which prepares a relatively large volume of product.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for preparing boned pork products as described above which is continuous in production.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for preparing boned pork products as described above which is not labor intensive.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for preparing boned pork products as described above which has a limited number of parts, which is easy to use and which is inexpensive to manufacture.
Accordingly, as one feature of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for preparing a boned pork product, said apparatus comprising a high temperature cooking station for braising and charring the boned pork product using radiant heat, a low temperature cooking station for cooking the boned pork product using steam to yield a fully-cooked, boned pork product, and a freezer station for freezing the fully-cooked, boned pork product.
As another feature of the present invention, there is provided a method for preparing a boned pork product comprising the steps of applying radiant heat to the boned pork product at a high temperature cooking station, applying steam to the boned pork product at a low temperature cooking station to yield a fully-cooked, boned pork product, and freezing the fully-cooked, boned pork product at a freezing station.